Unexpected Frienships, Reunions & Lovers
by DiNozzo and Gibbs addict
Summary: As new agent Jodie calls Dr Jason Bull and the team at TAC for help in a case that NCIS are currently investigating, they eventually work out that Tony is in danger, can they get to him in time and more importantly can he and Gibbs manage to put the past behind them? *Tibbs story.*


**Unexpected Friendships, Reunions & Lovers**

 **Chapter 1.**

It had been a very long case so far and the end still didn't feel like it was in sight. They were both stuck in a hole because both Gibbs and new agent Jodie Simms who was his replacement for Alex Quinn, knew that their suspect was innocent, but someone had done a really good job of planting all the evidence onto him. In the end late one night as he and Jodie were the ones left working after he had sent everyone else home ages ago, Gibbs scrubbed his hands over his face and said "You know I think that we're going to need some help with this one."

As she took her glasses off and put them down on top of the file that she had been reading, she rubbed her tired eyes and asked "Where from?"

He sighed and answered "Someone that will help to get Jones off if we end up getting to the point where this ends up in court."

After a few minutes silence she finally falls in with his thinking and says "Oh you mean someone like Doctor Jason Bull?"

He then gets up from his desk and comes to sit on the edge of hers as he says "Yeah, how do you know him?"

She answers "As you know my mom's a lawyer in New York and she's ended up working on a few cases with him. He also ended up helping us find the real perp on my last case with the NYPD after getting our original suspect off. So you think he's the one that we need?"

He says "I think so. Come on let's get home for now, give him a call in the morning and see if he'll come and help." He then hands her a folder that he'd also bought over with him and says "Look at that in the morning, I'm sure that there's some clue in there that I just can't see it." She then leaves it on top of the file that she had been looking at and as she tiredly get's up to start collecting her stuff together, then gets her gun and creds out of the drawer and begins to start walking out ahead of Gibbs, he then catches her up and says "Keys." As she willingly hands them over to him he says "I'm driving home because you're a lot more tired than I am." When Jodie had left the NYPD and had become an agent instead, her original plan had been to take an opening in the New York office and go back home again. But then Quinn had quit unexpectedly and because she'd got another month of waiting for the New York job to come up, Vance had offered the chance to stay in DC instead, so she took it. As soon as she'd told her mom the news of staying in DC, her mom had then called Gibbs asking him to make sure that he looked out for her. Seeing as at one time the families had been really close, because Gibbs and Jodie's father had served in the marines together, leaving her mom Janet and Shannon to become close back at home. Even though there was also a few years difference between Jodie and Kelly, the two of them were also very close. Long after Gibbs had left the remains, but Karl had stayed in, he was sadly KIA. Janet had moved to New York with Jodie but they had remained in touch with each other. He was also glad to honour that promise when Janet called him, because he had found Jodie living in a no very good apartment. Straight away that very night he found out, he'd moved her straight out of there and into his spare room, and quite surprisingly the two of them had got on really well together. So when they got home that night while she was upstairs having a shower, Gibbs ordered take out, which they then ate together with her then going to bed afterwards and he headed down into the basement to work on the boat for a while.

 _ **New York:**_

The next morning when Jason Bull picked up his ringing phone and answered it, he was very surprised to find that it was Jodie on the other end, especially as only the week before he had concluded a case working with Janet again. Because of that he had finally found out from her that Jodie had become an agent and was now based in DC. For a long time he and Jodie had been really good friends, but during the last case that they'd worked together on. The arrest of the real perp had happened at a party, which both Bull and Jodie had already been invited to anyway, after this had been found out the two of them were then persuaded to go together to it as a couple. Because of the way she had dressed up that night and looked so stunning on his arm, Bull found that his attraction to her was growing more and more. He never said anything more to her that night, and had then really regretted it when she subsequently went and disappeared. But because of being so very happy to finally hear her voice again with that call explaining the situation that they had in DC, he just knew that he had to take the case on. Not only that a few months before that and he presumed that it must have been when she was still doing her agent training because of Jodie not having been around then, he had worked on another case with agent Gibbs and so he thought that it would also be good to work with him again as well. So before ending the call with her he said that he would give her a call when they had got settled in DC. So after then ending the call he went out into the main area in TAC and said "Listen up everyone, go and get packed up, as we're off to DC to go and work with agent Gibbs again at NCIS!"

When Jodie had ended her part of the call and had put the phone down she said to Gibbs "He's on his way, he'll give me a call when he and the team get here to DC."

He looks towards her and says "That's good and I'm assigning you as the liaison between the two teams, seeing as you already know them."

She replies "Yes Gibbs." She then returns to looking at the file that Gibbs had given her, as she tries to hide that she's biting her lip to try not to smile about it. Because she had really liked Bull from the first moment that they met, but in a way there was also a part of her that found him sexy and of course had never acted on it. Then the night of the party in her last case and the way he was wearing a white tux, she found herself fighting the attraction that she could feel building up for him. Not only that she also knew that from the little touches and other things that he kept giving her that night, along with some of the smouldering looks he gave her as well, that he was feeling the same way too, but of course neither of them still did anything about it. Despite her then subsequent move and knowing that the relationship would become a long distance, she had still kicked herself for not telling him anything. With being this unexpected chance of being able to see him though she was determined that she was going to make the most of this opportunity and was going to tell him. As well as seeing Bull of course, she was also looking forward to also seeing the rest of the team, especially as she had also been quite close to both Chunk and Cable. Strangely though the person that she had been the closest to was Benny, plus she also had a feeling from the conversations she and Benny had had, especially on the days after the party and before she finally left, she suspected that he knew Bull had feelings for her and vice versa. But of course with the move and things she just hadn't got in touch with them either, so with them now coming there she was also looking forward to having a catch up with them.

By the time she got the call from Bull letting her know that they were just getting settled, then a little while later getting a call from security saying that Bull was downstairs and she gave them clearance to send him up, once again it was just her and Gibbs left in the bullpen. Because McGee and Bishop had gone off to the NSA to see if they could get some help from them to find out how the CCTV evidence had been fixed, while Reeves and Torres were out interviewing someone who'd actually been in the same place as their suspect that was being set up was. As they hoped that this persons evidence would bring them the proof they needed to let him go. After a few minutes when the elevator dinged to herald Bull's arrival and Bull walked out with the guard, Jodie once again was biting her lip to try not to break out into a really big smile to show how pleased she was to see him. By the time she'd got up and met him at the end of their section, they just did a shy smile at each other and said "Hi." They then went over to Gibbs desk, who got up to shake hands with him as they both said "Gibbs." "Bull." As their "Hello." To one another. After that Gibbs then added "Jodie here will be the liaison between the two teams seeing as she already knows all of you."

Bull smiles at her as he says to Gibbs "That' good."

Gibbs then says to the both of them "Ok, take everything on the case upstairs and get him updated with the case." So with that she goes back to her desk and gets everything collected together and then they head upstairs together.

After telling Bull everything about the case, Jodie then sits down with all the paperwork and other things set down on the table in front of them. As she then has a mouthful of her coffee, she notices that Bull is watching her closely and really trying hard to get a read on her, as she looks him in the eye she says with a blush rising one her face "What?"

He answers her "You look tired, what's wrong?"

She scrubs her hands over her face and sighs as she answers "It's just this case Bull, I just know that there's something there staring us right in the face, but I just can't see what it is."

He then asks her with his knowing look on his face "Tell me the truth when did you last sleep?"

She replies "If you must know it was last night."

"And I bet that it was only for a couple of hours?"

She doesn't answer him this time, but as he get's his read on her, he knows that he's right about it. So with that he tells her to get her stuff packed up and she's coming back to their office with him, which they've got as their base temporarily while they're in DC. He's then going to get the team updated on the case and get working on it while she has a good proper rest, and he isn't going to take no for an answer over it.

At the office Bull does do exactly what he said he would and after a very quick reunion with everyone, he goes into a small office just off the main room and pulls out the sofa bed for her and then gets it all set up with covers and pillows. From her clothing all she does is remove her jacket and shoes then she settles in the bed. He then kneels at her side stoking her forehead and hair, with him doing that it then isn't long before her breathing starts to even out and she finally falls asleep.

When Jodie wakes up a couple of hours later she's very surprised when she wakes up to find that she's not alone in the bed and that Bull has joined her. Not only that during her sleep she turned over and found him there, so she's ended up getting really cuddled into him, with her placed in the centre of his chest on his heart. The thing she loves about waking up in that position is feeling his warmth around her, but most of all feeling his steady heartbeat underneath her hand. As she then tries to hardly move because she doesn't want to wake him up, she props herself up on her elbow to look down and just watch him sleep. Although as she watches him she does start to find it hard not to just lean down and place a kiss on his gorgeous lips. In the end though she soon finds out that he's busted her, as he all of a sudden says with his eyes shut "I know what you're thinking." As she answers him with "And what's that?" His hand finds its way to the back of her head, as he then pulls her down for their lips to meet, the kiss remains a slow one but filled so much with those feelings that the two of them have been hiding from one another. As his hand then starts to wander through her hair and run through his fingers, making the kiss grow deeper, because of the way her hand has remained over his heart on his chest, it very nearly takes her breath away despite the kiss, at the way the speed of his heart gets faster, as well as thumping even harder. She then all of a sudden remembers where the two of them are, so as she breaks the kiss, but still keeps their faces close together she says "What about the others and us getting caught?"

He smirks back at her and replies "Do you really think I'd let this happen in front of an audience? We got a bit stuck with things so I sent the rest of them back to the hotel again."

She says with a smile and chuckle "So you thought that you'd then just go and take advantage of me Doctor Bull?"

He cups her cheek and starts rubbing his thumb gently on her skin as he replies "Nope. You just don't know how long I've been waiting to get you into this position, because I've fallen in love with you Jodie Simms."

As he then brings his knee between her legs and then turns them so that he's on top of her, he then moves her arms above her head and just before he goes in for another kiss she says huskily "And I've fallen in love with you too."

As they then start to kiss again and she brings one of her arms down to bring to the back of his head and make the kiss deeper, the movement causes the knee between her legs to brush against her, causing her to moan into their kiss and also her stomach to lurch. When the kiss breaks this time, she leaves her fingers running through his hair as he then says "And I promise that whatever happens with us, we will make this work."

She says back to him "I promise that I will do all I can as well, even if it may get hard with the jobs we do, as well as with me also living with Gibbs to."

He then says quietly but with a sly smile "Why do you live with him for?"

She answers "It's because he didn't like the look of the apartment that I had when I moved here, as I was only renting it temporarily while I was looking out for something to buy and making it more permanent. Plus he also served with my dad in the marines and so he always promised him and my mom that he would always look out for me." She then sighs and adds "And I suppose that in a way we also help each other with our memories of those that we've lost."

He asks "You mean his wife and daughter?"

She answers "Yep. Mom and his wife Shannon were really good friends, so where me and his daughter Kelly. Somehow I feel like that they're still somehow around us with living in the house that I spent a lot of my childhood in."

He strokes his fingers through her hair as he says "And in a way they probably are around you both. Plus I think that it's good that you're here with someone that you do know so well, and I am happy that you have got a new life here, especially as I knew that you weren't happy in New York any more or with being a cop, but why did you leave in the way you did without telling any of us?"

She sighs again and says with some sadness "I don't know. I think that a lot of it had to do with loosing Jamie. Because to start off with when I first came here I wasn't even thinking anything about changing jobs and becoming an agent. I hadn't even thought about seeing or getting in touch with Gibbs in any way either while I was here. I think that I only came to somewhere more familiar to deal with the Jamie situation and also with my grief. I don't know if mom had called Gibbs then as well, but I do have a feeling that she most probably did so. Because he found me on the day that I went to visit Shannon and Kelly's graves, we talked a lot and it did help me a lot. I then ended up staying a bit longer than I had planned to because a case then came across his path, which had a connection to one of me and Jamie's old cases. Christie of course kicked up a fuss about things and was going to send someone who hadn't got any clue about the case and order me back to New York again, even though I was still actually officially on leave. In the end both Gibbs and director Vance went and made a complaint about it to her superiors, so they then gave me the clearance to stay here and work the case with them. At the end of the case Vance said to me that he had got places available if I wanted to become an agent instead and that if I wanted it I could also take a place up in New York. So I resigned as a cop and went to FLETC to become an agent. So with all of that going on I didn't get a chance of telling any of you what was going on. But with me thinking that I was going to be coming back to New York again, I was just thinking that I'd get in touch again when I got back there again. Then just as I finished at FLETC Alex Quinn decided that she was going to leave Gibbs team, so Gibbs asked me if I wanted to take her place instead and I agreed. I suppose that in a way after that it felt harder for me to get in touch with you. Although as soon as Gibbs said that we might need some help with this case the night before I called you, you were actually the first person that I thought of."

As he runs his fingers down the side of her face he says "And I'm very glad that you did. So what is it with you and Christie?"

She does a weak smile and sighs before replying, as she cups his cheek "I promise you Bull that I will tell you, but I don't want it to spoil our moment. Plus I would also like to get this case over and done with first."

He then leans down and places a light kiss on her lips, before he then says "Ok I'm putting it on hold for now, but I am going to hold you into telling me about it eventually."

She replies with a chuckle "And I know that you will do just that Bull, especially as I can never get anything past you anyway and you never forget anything either."

As he runs his hand through her hair by her ear he smiles and says "That I don't."

As they start to kiss with some passion once again his hand starts to wander underneath her top, and as his hand makes contact with her skin she automatically feels the current of electricity pass through her. As things begin to get heated between them both, even though she is feeling a bit of a thrill of the two of them being public so to speak, she all of a sudden gets a fear that the two of them would get caught by someone, sensing her tense up he breaks their kiss and whispers huskily into her ear "I locked the door after Marissa was the last one to leave and I'm the only one with a key. I only let them have it when I'm at the Navy Yard or out of here, so I promise you that we won't get caught."

He then moves down to start nuzzling her neck and the spot just below her ear lobe and as she begins to relax once again and her eyes flicker shut revelling in the touch of his mouth against her skin, he moves his mouth to pull on her earlobe making her shiver and moan. After that it becomes a bit of a battle of wills, as hands and mouths want to take in as much as they can of one another, as they twist and turn to strip each other of their clothes. In the end as she gets left just in her panties and he only in his boxers, she manages to get him at a right angle to be able to peel the boxers off and leave it for him to kick them off, but something clicks in her and she just submits to him, which is unusual for her, because in her past relationships she has always ended up being the more dominant one in bedroom activities. But she actually finds that she enjoys that moment of submission, especially with his look of triumph in his eyes and the little smirk that appears on his face as she does it. As he then begins to worship her body as they build to make love, she feels very happy that finally the two of them have been able to admit to one another the truth about how they feel about each other, and somehow she finds something click and knows that this relationship will be for keeps.

Later on when the two of them finally manage to resurface once again, after sharing the shower that is also there, and in which nothing more than the two of them washing each other and just sharing some lazy kisses happened. As they finished dressing he called and got a Chinese ordered for the two of them and then only unlocks the door once again for its arrival. As the two of them eat he starts to go through the case files, while she finishes looking through the file that Gibbs had given to her. Just as she puts some food in her mouth, she smirks round the chopsticks that she had just put into her mouth, before putting them down and getting onto power up her laptop. As she does it she then starts to think how happy she is that Bull did the right thing with his intervention, because not only does she feel a lot more refreshed following the sleep that she had. But also with the way that the two of them had finally admitted how they felt about each other and had made love, she realizes that it has helped her to release some of that tension that she hadn't really realized she was carrying around with her. As she then starts reading the files that she called up on her laptop she begins to eat more slowly and also starts to take some notes. But then even that starts to slow down as she starts to find herself heading towards a brick wall once again. But then as she starts to go through everything once she finds someone who could be a suspect, the only trouble is that the offence he committed years ago and was jailed for, and so as yet the files for it hadn't been digitized yet, not only that she also hadn't got any access to be able to find out if he'd been released from jail or not. So with that she slammed the box of food in her hand down and said "Damn," which made Bull look up at her from the file he was reading with a questioning look on his face as he asked "What is it?"

She sighed and answered "We've got to go back to the Navy Yard. I've got to go to the building over the road from there, because I need a file that hasn't been digitized yet."

He puts the file in his hand down and replies "Ok so let's go. I'd better drop the keys into Marissa first on the way, just in case we're not back in time for the morning." So with that the two of them get packed up once again, then just before leaving the office they share a quick kiss and head off.

As Gibbs headed back to the Navy Yard again at 6:00am the next morning, he fully expected to find the bullpen empty and to also have some peace and quiet, so that he could have a sit a think about the case. But he stopped in his tracks to find that Jodie was at her desk studying a file really closely, while Bull was pacing the bullpen with a file in his own hand and at the same time he was also talking to Marissa on the phone. As he saw Gibbs arrive Bull acknowledged him with his eyes as he then ended the call with Marissa. As soon as he had done that Gibbs then said to them both "What are you two doing and how long have you been here for?"

To which Bull sighs and says "We've been here a little while Gibbs."

As Gibbs takes a closer look at all the coffee cups around and in the trash as well as the take out boxes he guesses that they've probably been there for hours. Bull then gets up from the chair that he sat in as he answered Gibbs, grabs the clicker for the plasma and puts a picture on the screen, Jodie then gets up from her seat to join them and says "I had to come in because I knew that there was a connection between the case and the one that you gave to me."

As Gibbs recognizes the person in the picture on the screen he asks "Jason Robards I can remember that case well, but he should still be in prison surely?"

Bull turns and says to him "I got Danny to check on it and he got released on parole six months ago, following a reduction in his sentence a few years ago."

Gibbs then asks with some surprise "How the hell did that happen without us knowing or being told about it?"

Bull answers "I'm not sure, but I've got Benny checking up on it, Danny is also currently trying to find out his whereabouts and what he's been doing since leaving prison, but I do think that we're looking at him as your main suspect. I know that Ducky was just dabbling in the psychology things back then, but his report was quite accurate, he was called in earlier over something involving Agent Balboa's team, so I went and had a chat with him and we both reached the conclusion about him being our suspect now for this."

Gibbs asks "So why has he set up Joshua Phillips for? I can't recall him ever being apart of this case."

Jodie answers "Thanks to Tony's meticulous notes in the file I was able to find out that the witness to the murder of Trevor Saunders was a witness to another crime that has involved the FBI, and has since been put into witness protection. It seems that somehow Jason somehow found out Joshua's new identity and set him up because the person that Jason murdered is a relation to a member of that jury David Luke."

Bull then adds "And be on guard because we think that he may kill again, especially if you charge Joshua with this and get he case closed. As we think that his plans may be to go after all those people that had a hand with putting him inside."

Gibbs sighs and scrubs his hands over his face as he says "And all this also means that I'm going to have to get in touch with our friend from the FBI. OK the two of you go home and get some rest; I will call you if we need you. Go get a couple of hours if I don't call you in, before you go, Bull can I have a word with you in my office."

He answers with a puzzled look on his face "Yeah sure." As Gibbs then strides off first in front of him, Jodie can't help but chuckle at the worried look he has on his face, as he begins to follow Gibbs into the elevator.

In the elevator after Gibbs had stopped it Bull said "What is it Gibbs?"

Gibbs answers "First of all I do know about you and Jodie, as well ad the two of you having finally done something about it."

He replies "We have and I do really love her Gibbs, I was just stupid enough not to tell her how I felt until it was too late and she was gone. I promise you that I will now do my damndest to make this work out, no matter the distance between the two of us and I also promise you that I will never ever hurt her."

Gibbs says "You better not do because otherwise you will have me to answer to."

Bull replies "I know I will and I don't want that." After a pause he then adds "She has promised to tell me once this case is over, and while she was still in New York I had a feeling that she was having problems with her chief detective Christie, do you know what it was about?"

Gibbs answers "I will let her tell you everything, but I will tell you what I can and when you come back later I will also let you have a look at her file as well. Especially as despite the developments in your relationship I have a feeling that possibly we may end up needing your help, as I just have a feeling that something may end up coming back and biting us in the ass later on. When her partner Jamie was killed it seems that I think it might be down to jealousy with the way that Jodie had got herself up the ranks, and Christie seems to think that Jodie would soon be ranking above her, so she attempted to get Jodie blamed for Jamie's death, even though the inquiry did eventually clear her. I got it out of Jodie eventually, but it seems their history stems from when she was a rookie cop, as even though nothing exactly happened between she and Christie, she's got it in her head that it did. At the time Christie was her sergeant, when the two of them were showering following a shift Christie attempted to make a move on her, which she of course declined. After that Jodie made sure that the two of them were never alone, even though Christie did still keep trying to attempt it. I know that Jodie does also suspect that Christie may have also had something to do with Jamie's death as well. Mostly because I suspect that Christie thought there was something more going on between Jodie and Jamie than their friendship and she was jealous because of wanting Jodie herself. I was hoping that getting her away from the force was going to help her and I think it has done to some extent, but I am still afraid that it perhaps hasn't."

Bull replies "Ok when you get the chance give me everything you have on the quiet of course and I'll start going through it all and get the team going on it. I know that this case is our top priority now, but we can at least start on investigating things in preparation for anything that may come up. I promise you that even though things have changed in our relationship I will still do all I can to protect her and help her, because even if she's not showing it outwardly I can see that she's hurting and I don't like to see that in her."

Gibbs says with a sigh "Thanks Bull." He then starts the elevator up once again and after getting back to the floor again they both get out and Bull then collects everything together, before he and Jodie then leave.

A couple of hours later Jodie and Bull are in her bed at Gibbs house, when they are woken up by Jodie's cell ringing. As she sits up to answer it and rubs the sleep from her eyes, it's Gibbs wanting them both back at the Navy Yard because he wants the two of them to head to Paris, but he'll explain more to them when they get back. When he ends the call she can't help but laugh at what Gibbs ended the call with because he said "I do know that the two of you have finally got together, and after you two have also been up to goodness know what in that bed you can't do anything more because I need you in here, so move your asses out of bed and get in here now!"

Because of the way she had sat up with her back against the headboard as they talked, which along with laughing at what Gibbs had said, she also hit her head back lightly against the board, as Bull then pulled himself up to sit next to her he said "What is it?"

As she then gave him a light kiss on the cheek she answered "It seems that you and me are off to Paris, but don't ask me why because I don't know, we've got to head back to the Navy Yard and find out."

He asks "So I wonder what is in Paris?"

She replies "Well the only thing that I can think of being in Paris is former special agent Anthony DiNozzo along with his daughter Tali, and it was his notes that I was reading about the case."

Bull then asks "What is it with him?"

She answers with her own question "How do you mean?"

He then answers "Well when you mentioned Tony's name earlier I caught a quick flash of something cross Gibbs face."

She says with a smile "Well my dear it's a bit like the two of us really and not admitting to one another how they feel about each other."

Bull questions with some surprise "What?"

She replies "When Tony left a couple of years ago with his daughter Tali, Gibbs had been in love with Tony for about as long as the two of them had been together as working partners, which had been for about fifteen years."

Bull then asks "And did Tony feel the same way about him?"

She answers "I only met him once many years ago now and let's just say that he did certainly live up to his Italian roots, in being a real ladies man and was a terrible flirt, and yes that did include flirting with me. But as he was doing it I could feel the jealousy flooding off of Gibbs, so I soon shut Tony down. Although the two of us then did end up going out for a drink together later that night, I was the one that stayed sober while Tony got just as little bit tipsy. All he kept going on about was how much that I didn't know what unrequited love felt like. Of course the two of us hadn't met then, so of course I didn't know what he meant, but now of course I do very much understand what he did mean. Anyway after having sensed Gibbs jealousy I sort of guessed that he meant that he was also in love with Gibbs as well. Later on when I talked to Abby about it, she told me that it was the worst kept secret at NCIS about how the two of them felt about one another, but that it wasn't obvious to them themselves. Now the rest of that story will have to wait until later when we're off to Paris, because according to Gibbs we have to move our asses out of this bed." As she then gets out of the bed and heads towards the bedroom Bull is soon on her heels following her in there.

By the time they get back to the Navy Yard again, grabbing go bags for the both of them on the way, it's to find everyone in the bullpen including the team from TAC and also Fornell. Because of wanting to talk to Jodie and Bull on their own, as they get to the end of the bullpen Gibbs indicates with his eyes for them to head back to the elevator again, so they just drop their bags where they are and head back there again. As soon as the elevator stops Jodie says "What is it Gibbs?"

He replies "Well thanks to all your hard work we've managed to find out quite a lot. There's no time to go through it all with you now, but the two of you are off to Paris to go and get DiNozzo and Tali. Once McGee and Cable have got a secure connection sorted out we will be sending you E mails with all the details, as well as us then being able to talk on the phone. But it does seem that Jason is thinking that because DiNozzo isn't an agent now and is of course now a father he's now more of a soft target. From what Fornell and the FBI have got from his prison cell, they have found plans and other things about getting to DiNozzo, but not how soon it was going to happen. Things became more urgent because McGee got an E mail from DiNozzo saying that he was getting out of their apartment and going to a hotel because he was thinking that he was being followed. You two are going to get them and bring them back here, as you two will be able to get away with being a lovey dovey couple as cover for the job you're there to do, you will also pick up an extra agent while you're there for added protection. Sec Nav has also given you her plane to use to get there and get back again. Once you have picked DiNozzo up you will then pick up the protection detail up at a rendezvous point and they will transport you back to the plane again, we will then meet you at the airport on this end. Once the secure connection is up we will also be getting in touch with DiNozzo so that he also knows what's going on. Vance has also given his clearance for both us and the TAC team to work on this together, so for the time being everyone will be based here as well."

Jodie then asks "So if you get the connection up as we're on the way there will you be telling Tony that it will be me heading to him?"

Gibbs answers "We probably will, but he may guess it's you anyway because even though you only met that once, you did certainly make an impression on him." He then pauses before he then adds "Bull if you don't mind I'll let you out of here again, as I just want to have a word with Jodie."

Bull answers "That's fine."

After doing that and stopping the elevator again Gibbs looks at Jodie and says "Just look after yourselves and keep the two of you safe, most of all please just bring DiNozzo and Tali back here safely as well."

She replies "I will do I promise you Gibbs. Just promise me that you will do something?"

He questions "And what's that?"

She answers "Just stop being a stubborn old fool where Tony's concerned, because you know that as soon as all of this is all over he'll be off back to Paris again. Tell him the truth and admit how you truly feel about him. You never know he may forgive you and may still feel the same way about you, and give you a second chance. You've not been happy since he left Gibbs and you've also only been on a couple of dates, but even with those your heart really wasn't in it. I know that you never thought you would get a chance with him again, but now you are, so take that chance and tell him."

He replies "I promise I will try to."

She then moves to stand right in front of him with her hands on her hips and plumps out her chest, as she huffs out a breath and says more firmly "Well if you don't do it you'll have me to answer to, and I promise you that I will either head slap you into next year or I will make sure that before he leaves again the two of you will mysteriously end up getting stuck in this elevator until the both of you have managed to talk at least some of it out." As she then pokes him in the chest for the last bit she adds "And you both will be stuck in here until you have done Mr.!"

As he then does a slight chuckle and envelopes her in a hug, when she finally relaxes into him, he kisses the top of her head and says "I promise you that I won't waste this chance." He then lets her go and gets the elevator working again, taking them back up to the their floor, where she finds Bull waiting with their bags, so he and Gibbs swap places for the two of them to head off to Paris.

Once the two of them had got settled in on the plane and were on their way to Paris, they were sitting opposite each other with a small table between them and were having a cup of coffee, holding hands across the table top as Bull finally said "So what is the rest of the story behind Tony and Gibbs?"

She replies "Ok. So obviously over the years the two of them remained stubborn fools and wouldn't admit to one another how they felt about each other and Gibbs has admitted that in all the times that he did come so very close to loosing Tony, he had come so very close to finally admitting how he felt, especially the time that Tony ended up with the plague because that time was a very very close call for them loosing him."

Bull says with some surprise "What, how the hell did he end up getting a disease from the dark ages?"

She smiles and answers "Long story short. This woman called Hannah Lowell had got a vendetta against NCIS, but due to her having a brain tumour she was thinking that she was hitting out at agents from the past, who had investigated and cleared some Navy sailors of assaulting her daughter many years before. She'd sent an envelope filled with Y Pestis which Tony unfortunately ended up opening it and breathed some of the powders particles, so he then ended up being very seriously ill with pneumonic plague and it was a very close call. Anyway at the end of Tony's final year with NCIS Gibbs got shot by a kid that he'd been trying to protect as they went after a group called The Calling. Because the shooting happened in Iraq he was put on a hospital ship and was operated on with the shots being in his chest and knee. Tony wanted to remain by Gibbs side but Vance ordered him to go after Daniel Budd The Callings leader and not to loose him. Gibbs has since admitted to me that he wanted to be the one that actually went after Budd, even if he wasn't in any condition to be able to do that because of having been through the major surgery that he had been. So Gibbs has also admitted to me that jealousy then took over as Tony not only went after Budd, but also kept the team together by standing in as temporary team leader in Gibbs place while he recovered. Not only that because of the way it turned into anger he started to then push Tony away by getting angry with him, because he thought it was the best thing to do, especially as Gibbs thought that Tony wasn't in love with him or had any feelings for him. So then came the case and circumstances to Tony leaving, because former NCIS were being murdered which also included the director that was in charge when Tony first joined NCIS. They thought that it was by a man called Jacob Scott who had escaped from a prison in the UK and had got to the US. In the end it turned out that it wasn't Jacob Scott that had murdered them, but that he was being set up by former CIA agent Trent Kort. Kort then set someone up to fire bomb former NCIS agent Ziva David's farmhouse in Israel. Because when she joined NCIS she had been a Mossad officer and her father was the head of Mossad, when he was killed a few years ago. Tony had sort of fallen in love with her and when she left and returned to Israel he had gone after her to try and persuade her to return with him, but she wouldn't and remained there. But because of her father Kort had thought that she had inherited most of his files and things from being the head of Mossad, some of these files were ones that they needed in the case. After the fire bomb destroyed the farm house, Mossad first of all confirmed that she had been killed but that there had still been a survivor. That survivor turned out to be Tali, the daughter she'd had following she and Tony's goodbye, but she hadn't told Tony anything about the pregnancy. So he then as his final job in being an agent helped them to finally get Kort, he then resigned and went back to Israel for a while before then finally settling in Paris with his daughter. He's kept in touch with most of the team here including Abby, Palmer and Ducky, but with Gibbs it's been nothing at all, and after their goodbye he's just cut all ties with him. I know that Gibbs has really regretted it and it has only ended up making his feelings for Tony grow even stronger. One night it came to a head when Abby and McGee had been talking about an E mail that Tony had sent them that day with loads of pictures in it of himself and Tali. I found Gibbs sulking in the basement later on and finally got the truth out of him. So when I talked to him in the elevator earlier I told him to stop being a stubborn old fool and to tell Tony how he feels about him while he's here and has the chance to, and then ended up threatening him that I would either ensure that the two of them ended up being trapped in the elevator together until they has finally talk things through. Or that I would head slap him into next year if he didn't do it. I just hope that somehow the two of them can end up admitting it to one another at last."

He says "I hope that the two of them can do it if it is what they both want, but you do also know that if you do need any help in getting them trapped in the elevator, then Cable is the expert in playing with elevators and making them stop. So the only thing is if the two of them do end up getting together finally, will you be able to cope with hearing them you know as well as having a lovey dovey couple around you?"

She smiles and replies "I know, but I could always buy some ear plugs I suppose if the worst did come to the worst. Plus if you can cope with it when you come down, we'll most probably be getting our own back on them as well. Unless of course I do the reverse and come to you in New York instead, but that also depends on it being a weekend that we're not on call of course. I do also promise you though that I will also take leave as well, so that we can have time together."

He says "I know that you will do and I will also do my best to come and see you as well." He then leans across as he squeezes their hands together and captures her lips in a kiss, before he then adds "Because I do want the two of us to work out, no matter what it takes."

As they arrive in Paris because of them both having got E mails from Cable and McGee telling them that the secure connection is up and running, they then do a check in call, before they then make their way to the hotel where Tony is. Of course the two them take their time in getting there, as they stop off at a café for some brunch and coffee, before then doing some sight seeing. Even though it is only a short time for them being there the Paris air does start to get to them, because as they walk round they go from starting off with just holding hands, to then getting cuddled up together, to then stopping every so often to share a kiss. When they finally arrive at the hotel, they stop and share a kiss outside. As they break apart, he strokes his fingers down the side of her face and then as he cups her cheek, he leans down and whispers in her ear "I promise you that we will come back here together one day."

As he lets go, she smiles up at him, before standing on tip toes to cup his cheek and place a gentle kiss there, as she says quietly back "I will look forward to that." As she returns back to flat feet again, she turns, placing her hand in the small of his back and guides him into the hotel.

At Tony's room after she knocks on the door she guesses that Tony looked through the peep hole to check who was there, because when he opens the door he gives her one of his mega watt smile as he says "Hi Jodie," before then pulling her in for a hug, as she replies "Hi Tony." When he then lets go of her she then does an introduction to Bull, after they shake hands they then head inside. When Jodie then spots Tali sitting up the table doing some colouring she turns to Tony and says "She's certainly shot up."

He smiles and says "Yeah she has just recently had a bit of a growth spurt." After a pause he then looks at her and adds "Wait a minute how do you know about my daughter?"

She replies with a sigh "It's a bit of a long story, but I have been an agent for quite a while now, so I've seen all the pics that you've been sending to Abby and McGee."

He says with a sly smile "Aaah so Gibbs finally got you then?"

She then does a quick look at Bull and with the look he gives her and the slight nod of his head, she knows that he did also spot the same look in his eyes that she saw as Tony mentioned Gibbs name and they know that he does still feel something for him. She then answers Tony as she says "Well it only happened in a round-a-bout way, but yes I am now an agent and only became one after doing a joint op with Gibbs while I was still a cop. But originally I was supposed to have been going to be an agent at the New York office. I then got called in when we had the trouble in Paraguay and Alex Quinn left the team. Because it only left Bishop and Reeves in DC and the MCRT being temporarily closed down, but when I came along we were able to keep it going until Gibbs, McGee and Torrez got back again. I then agreed to stay on as a temporary measure until either Quinn came back or they got a new agent in as replacement for her. Gibbs did have a try to get Quinn back again, but she didn't want too, so with that he then persuaded me to stay on instead."

Tony then asks "Wait a minute do you mean FLETC tutor Alex Quinn?"

She answers "Yes I do. After you left, and don't laugh, Gibbs couldn't get on with any of the agents she sent in as Probie and through that summer he got through eight different agents. After getting Torrez onto the team, Gibbs then persuaded Alex to also join the team as well."

Tony says with some surprise "So you're now a six person team?"

She answers "We are sort of because we do also have Reeves with us at times, but he's only a temporary member because MI6 wouldn't let him go permanently."

Tony replies "Wow that's a big change; I should think that the bullpen has changed now as well?"

She replies "It has done but only slightly, the desk that was behind the wall at the top has been bought into the section, which was then pushed together with McGee's old desk for me and Torrez, then your old desk, other than what McGee has done to it is still the same, along with Gibbs and Bishops desks still being in the same places."

While they've all been talking Tali has kept colouring with furtive looks at Bull and Jodie, before going back to her colouring again, when she all of a sudden pipes up "Abba I've finished." Tony turns and goes over to her, and as he sees her looking at Jodie and Bull he says "Tali these are my friends Jodie and Bull." She then looks at Bull with a puzzled look on her face and says "That's a funny name." Bull then goes down her level by crouching down and says "Well you can call me Jason if you want to and Abba says that you can."

Tony says to her "Yes that is ok."

Bull then says "I know that the two of you have got some other things to talk about, if you want some privacy to do it in, I can watch Tali for you."

So with that Tony kisses the top of Tali's head and pats her head as he says "Ok. Tali me and Jodie are just going to be in the other room as we need to have a talk, you can stay here with Bull if you want to."

Tali then does a little giggle as she says "No Abba it's Jason."

Jodie then laughs and says as she looks at Bull "I think that you may have made a friend there."

He replies with a smile "I think I may have done too."

After that she and Tony then head into the bedroom so that they can talk in private.

In the bedroom Tony sits on the bed while Jodie pulls out the chair belonging to the dressing table to sit on facing him as she says "I do mean it Tony you have done a really amazing job with her."

He replies "Thank you, it has been hard at time I won't deny that, but I have loved it."

She sigs and says "And you're going back to what you don't want to do?"

He answers "Mmm, in a way yes. Vance has already called me via the secure connection to tell me that he's got me on a temporary agent status, so that I can carry a weapon as we make our way back, as well as carry when we get back there again. Yes I know that I do have a permit and have kept a gun around for our protection, but I really didn't want to go back to all of that. But I'm also guessing that from the calls I've had this has got something to do with the past?"

She says "It has, it's Jason Robards."

He questions with some surprise "What, I thought that he was safe inside?"

She answers "On appeal he had his sentence reduced and then got released on parole, because of Gibbs saying the exact thing as you, so as well as helping with the investigation, Bull's team is also looking into how things have happened without anyone knowing about it. Gibbs bought Bull in originally to help us with the suspect that Robards had set up."

Tony asks "So what does Bull do?"

She answers "He's a trial consultant and psychologist."

"I see."

Because of the tone of his voice as he answers, after a pause she says "You can trust him Tony. Mom's worked with him quite a lot and in the cases where someone has been found not guilty, he's gone onto help us find out who the real perp is and has helped bring them to justice instead, and he is also a very good man."

Tony says "I know and I can see that he is it's just that I don't trust the science behind everything, do you love him Jode?"

"Mmm?!"

He says a bit more firmly "Are you in love with Bull?"

She sighs and with a smile answers "Yes I am Tony." After a pause she then carries on saying "You know what you said to me all those years ago?"

He replies with a slight chuckle to start off with "Some things from that night I can remember, but I was pretty much out of it."

She smirks and says "Do you remember that you said that I didn't know what unrequited love was or what it felt like?"

"Aaah that."

She then says "Well back then I didn't know what it was like, but since then I have well and truly learnt what it's like."

He asks "How do you mean?"

She replies "Well as I said Mom and Bull have worked together now quite a few times and they had become quite food friends, so she introduced us and we became friends as well. Anyway it had been happening so slowly that I didn't really notice it, but I came to realize that I was falling in love with him. At the same time I was also having problems at work with someone, which I haven't told anyone else about, but I do also suspect that in a way Gibbs does suspect something. I have promised that I will tell Bull the truth about things once all of this is over, but I really don't know if I can or not, but that's another long story. Anyway on my last case with the NYPD it was the first time that we worked together. When we eventually worked out who the perp was and it turned out that our main suspect was attending a party that both me and Bull had been invited, so of course the two of us then got sent undercover together. He just looked so good that night, and somehow us being undercover together and pretending to be a couple seemed to bring out the feelings we had for each more, but at the end of it I never told him anything, because with the problem that I had at work, things got worse. So I took some leave and went to DC, I just needed to get away for a while, as I was starting to feel that it was time that I left the job. I went to the place that I always go to when there's trouble or I have problems, which is Shannon and Kelly's graves. Gibbs and my dad served together in the marines and became close friends, while with us being stuck at home Shannon and my mom became close as well. Even though there was quite an age gap between me and Kelly, we became close and more like sisters as well. Gibbs soon worked out that it was my place of solace if I had problems and things, seeing as shortly after their deaths with my grief and other things going on, I tried to run away. Everyone went out hunting for me, but it was Gibbs that worked it out where I'd be and found me there. So it was my guess that when I came here on leave my mom may have guessed what I was up to, because on the day that I did go out to their graves, I'd been there a while when he showed up, so I guessed that she had probably called to tell him that I was in DC. Then while I was still there a case came up and I soon realized that it crossed into one of my old investigations. After a bit of a fight with the person that I've been having problems with, we were finally able to get the clearance we needed for me to stay here and help them with the case. When it was all over Vance offered me the chance of becoming an agent, saying that if it was my choice then I could become an agent and work at the New York office, the rest as they say is history and I ended up remaining where I was. That whole time though I knew that I was in love with Bull and of course all that time I never knew that he was in love with me too. That was until the other night when Gibbs said that we were going to need his help with the case. Seeing as Gibbs had already worked with him on a case, but I'd missed out on seeing him then, because I'd taken some leave for a vacation after I'd completed FLETC. So anyway after Gibbs had said that I called Bull to ask for his help and after I'd told Gibbs that he and the team were coming, Gibbs then told me that because of knowing him and the team then I could be the liaison between the two teams. So finally we managed to actually admit it to one another about how we felt and now we're together, agreeing to make things work even with him being in New York."

He replies "Well I do really hope that the two of you can make it work, because I can see that you do really love him and that he really loves you too very much."

The two of them then fall into a silence as she then joins him on the bed and lays her hand on his knee, as she then says quietly to him "He loves you and still does love you, you know."

He looks directly at her and replies "I know and I still love him too. I thought that having the distance between us would make things so much easier."

"But it hasn't?"

He answers "Nope. It actually made it worse talking to him earlier when he told me that you were coming here for me, you know I really hated him after that final year, but no matter what I just couldn't stop loving him."

She replies "I know and he's been so much the same. He did try to date, but they only lasted for about one or two dates only and it was with women only, he hasn't looked at one man since you left and that's because of his feelings for you Tony. You know what?"

"What?"

She answers "There were men in his life, even before he met Shannon. Then when the two of them met and then got married he never looked at another man again. Do you know that the only other time he has been serious with a man?"

"No."

She says "It was two years after she and Kelly were killed and before he met the first ex-wife. After that he never looked at another man again, that was until a certain ex-cop came into his life, just as he was going through the last divorce."

Tony replies "You certainly know your Gibbs stuff well, how come?"

She answers "It's because even though he and my mom have always got on so well, they have never slept together, but they've just always remained very close. He was there for her when dad was killed in action; it was also at the time when he was having his relationship with that other man. At the time I was at the age where I was just beginning to learn about sex, but it was at the time where we were just taught the very basics at school, and of course it was just about sex between men and women, because any other kind of sex was locked up tight and never mentioned because it was thought to be wrong. So after dad was killed he and Richard came to stay with us and mom then explained it to me about their relationship. But in a way the two of us have always remained close as well because of the bond with having been so close to Shannon and Kelly as well. On the first anniversary of when you left I was here in DC and found him in the basement well and truly out of it because he had hit the bourbon so hard, and I think it was a mixture of that and his self-pity made him open up and tell me what ha happened between you both. Along with how much he'd been in love with you and still was, plus how stupid he had been for all those years in not having told you the truth ever. Some of that reason had of course been rule 12, but the other half of it was him thinking that you didn't feel the same way about him. As you probably know he made rule 12 because of Jenny Shepherd, which is also some of the reason why he didn't come out here to get you, partly because of wanting it to be an unknown agent coming to get you, the other reason was because even though he does have some really good memories of Paris with the two of them being together, he also has the bad one, because it was here in Paris that she sent him the Dear John letter breaking things off between them, and it's the reason why he's never come back here in all those years. I know that probably this having to go back to DC again is a bit reluctantly for you, but please if you get the chance to, talk to him. And I also promise you that even though I do know him so well, I will always be a neutral person, so if at anytime you want to talk about anything I'll always be here for you."

He takes her hand and says "Thank you I know that you will be and I will always be here for you too."

She replies with a smile "Thank you and you never know if you're really lucky you may find yourself with a couple of in built baby sitters with me and Bull."

As she then lets go of his hand and starts heading for the door, just as her hand reaches the door knob and she manages to open it he says quietly "And if you wan to talk about the other thing as well, I am here to listen." He then pauses and then adds with a smile "You've told him to talk to me as well haven't you? So own up, what did you threaten him with?"

She answers with a chuckle "Well it was actually two things. One was finding a way to get the both of you trapped in the elevator and left there until the two of you talked, the other thing was that I told him I'd head slap him into next year, even though I do sort of have a feeling that perhaps that is the one that you would actually like to do, and I also have the feeling that you probably wouldn't want to do it on his head either!"

As a mischievous look passes over his face and a little giggle slips out he says "I knew all along that you were a woman after my own heart, as I have a feeling that the both of us may have had fantasies about the people we're in love with."

She replies with a big smile on her face "Well we'll just have to wait and see about that Mr DiNozzo, as we may just have to compare notes if anything does end up happening between you and Gibbs."

He replies with a smile of his own "I think that may have to be a promise between us that we have to keep Miss Simms, as we will most certainly have to compare notes."

As they all get back to the plane safely with no problems and have begun their journey back to DC, both Bull and Tony start to get concerned about Jodie because of the was that she's gone so quiet on them. After a while she had excused herself to go and have a rest in the cabin, so after the two of them had had a good chat Tony decided to get her a cup of coffee and went to see her. As he walked into the cabin it was to find that she'd just woken up from a sleep, but he could also tell that she had been crying. As she sat up he put the coffee down on the nightstand and then sat on the bed with her, putting his arm around her as he said with some slight humour to his voice "Come on tell Uncle Tony all about it."

She gave him a light slap and growled "Tony!" With a slight chuckle and groan, but she then turned serious again while handing over her phone as she added "I got this and god knows how she managed to get round the secure connection."

He reads it and then says "Who is she?"

She answers "One of my former bosses at the NYPD."

He says "And she's the person behind your problems, who is she?" She just nods "Yes" in reply and he then asks "What did she do to you? Come on tell me, I can only help you if you tell me."

She answers "She's been the bane of my life ever since my rookie days. Things did eventually come to a head, but all Gibbs knows is that she made a move on me, but I declined. The truth of it is that she tried to assault me while we were in the showers after a shift one day."

As she then bursts into tears, Tony hugs her and pulls her into him more as he also kisses the top of her head as he says quietly "I'm so sorry."

As she then carries on she says "After that I would make sure that I was never alone with her, because she would still try to get us alone most of the time or do things to make another attempt to do it again. Anyway the other reason I came to DC and sought solace at Shannon and Kelly's grave was because my partner at the NYPD had just been killed, as we worked a case. When I finally got settled in DC here and was starting to feel a lot more happy in myself, the texts and other things started coming through from her, I'm still not rid of her Tony and I just want it all to end, but I just can't see a way out of it."

He then asks "What is the hold that she has over you?"

She answers "I don't even know if it's true or not, but she did show me some documents which alleged that at the time my dad was killed, he was supposed to have allegedly been selling secrets to ops and other things, he was killed before the investigation into it could begin, so it was then brushed away and forgotten about. Because of the way that Gibbs loved my dad I felt that I couldn't really go to him about it, as I knew how hurt that he would be about it and then of course I was worrying about it getting back to mom as well and how hurt and upset she would also be. And then no matter how many times I say no Christie just keeps on finding ways to try and make me sleep with her. Not only that after the assault I haven't been able to sleep with anyone, Bull was the first man I've slept with in a very long time. Those fantasies that we were talking about and will talk about, I do want to be able to do them with him. Especially as in all my relationships before the assault I was always the dominant one, but with him the other night it ended up being the other way round, then last night when we slept together I let him take even more control. I do want to explore that more, but I do still wonder if I can let that happen more and more, but it does still scare me that I would be remembering that moment more and more and not be able to go through with things. Not only that even with having been there a while now, me and Abby do still have a bit of an up and down relationship, but that is of course down to what happened that night, and I just can't cope with being jumped on."

He then bursts into laughter and puts his head in his hands as he says "Oh God, thanks for the reminder, I've still got that to come haven't I?"

She chuckles and replies "Yep you have."

He then says "Ok I will make you a promise that I will talk to Gibbs about us, and I also promise that if you will let me do it I will talk to him for you about all this. Vance has already said that he will be keeping my temporary agent status open until this case is over with. I know already though that I'm going to be stuck at the Navy Yard anyway, so let me lead the investigation? Because if you let me talk to Gibbs he can authorize other people to do what I can't do like go out and talk to people and things like that. Also I'm not saying that you have to do it straight away, but do tell Bull the truth about what happened to you. As you may find that in the end it will help you, because you may be able to then open up and talk about the things that you want to explore in your relationship, and you know that I will also be here for you at anytime that you want to talk about things. But you must also promise that if anything else comes through from her, then you bring it straight to me."

She replies "I promise you that I will talk to Bull about this and I will also give you everything that I have on all of this as well."

He says "Thanks, and if you want me to as well I'll go and talk to Abby for you, as you never know that might help as well. But if you do give me leave to just talk to Gibbs and Abby about this, I promise you that I won't talk to anyone else about it, unless you give me the clearance to do so."

She replies with a small smile "Thanks Tony."

Once again he gives her a one armed hug and says "Now you have that coffee and then have a freshen up before you come and join us again, then we'll be ready to land. I do promise you that I'm here to help you through all of this every single step of the way."

As they then both get up, they share a hug and he then leaves her to it.

After landing at the airport an having some very quick reunions with Tony, she and Bull then end up in the same car as Tony, Tali and Gibbs, with McGee and Bishop following on behind them. As they travel back to the Navy Yard the conversation flows quite easily between them all. When they finally arrive at the Navy Yard and all get out, with Jodie getting Tali out and holding her in her arms until Tony takes her, because of the lost look that then appears on his face as he looks back up at the building for the first time since the day that he walked out of the place no longer an agent, with Jodie noticing it, she touches him with a reassuring touch in the small of his back as she says "You Ok?"

He answers her with a wry smile and slightly wistfully "Yeah, just never thought I'd ever be back in this place again." And with that they all head together to the elevators.

When they get to the bullpen floor it's at that moment that Tony decides that he wants to get the talk about Jodie out of the way, so once again he hands Tali over to Jodie and tells Tali that he just wants to have a talk with Gibbs first and that he'll be there with her in a while. As the rest of them all get out and Jodie looks back at them as she walks away, Tony flashes her a look of "Don't worry everything will be ok, I promise." She then nods back at him as the elevator doors start to close and she heads towards her desk with Tali.

As Tony brings the elevator to a stop, Gibbs gives him a questioning look. As Tony then runs his hands through his hair, he then sighs and says "I know that we do have a lot to talk about Gibbs, but we do need to talk about Jodie."

Gibbs then questions "What? Why?"

Tony answers "Because on the plane me and Bull realized that there was something worrying and troubling her." He then takes her phone out of his pocket and hands it to Gibbs, of course because of not having his glasses with him he can't see it, so Tony rolls his eyes and snatches it back from him to read it to him, after that he then adds "I know that we've got to find out how this woman got around the secure connection and things, but I did talk to Jodie and she did agree to me talking to you about it. She did also tell me her reasons for becoming an agent and wanting out of the NYPD, but all that you knew was about her boss making a move on her, what she didn't tell you was that the person in question did actually assault her."

There's then a few minutes silence and Tony can feel Gibbs temper rising, as he then punches the wall near Tony and then goes to do it again, Tony grabs hold of his wrist to stop him from doing it again. A heated look then passes between them both, but also seeing the look of sadness in his eyes Tony takes Gibbs into his arms and they just stand there like that before Tony finally quietly says "I know how you feel, because I was seething as she told me about it and of course when I left her alone to get freshened up I had to hide it, because she hasn't told Bull anything about it yet."

As Gibbs then finally comes out of his arms and then starts pacing the small space he says "You're right because I'm so angry at what that woman has put her through Tony, but I'm angry at myself as well because I should have seen it with the way she is with Abby and can't stand her jumping on her, when I know that way back in the past it wouldn't have bothered her at all."

Tony says "I know and I have also promised her that I would go and talk to Abby about it, but she has also said that she will tell Bull about it, but for now she just wants it kept between us and no-one else. Since the assault that woman has then followed her around and has kept trying to get her on her own so that she can have another attempt at it, so along with her partner's death she also came here to try and finally get away from her once and for all. She's also been trying to blackmail her into it, as apparently she's shown her some documents saying that just before her father was killed he was about to be put under investigation for selling secrets, but because of his death it all got swept away. But now she is telling Jodie that if she doesn't do what she wants then she will release these papers to sully his name. Which is why Jodie didn't want to tell you because she knew how hurt both you and her mom would be and she didn't want that for you both, look I know that I can't be out there chasing things up until the rest of the case is over and done with, but please let me use my temporary agent status to at least look into all of this, because I do want to help you all I can and Jodie as well."

Gibbs replies with a sigh and he says "Ok, I'll let you do that and for now we'll just keep all this between ourselves and Abby. Once she's had a chance of telling Bull about it we'll work out a way in which we can get Cable from his team, Abby and McGee to look into how she managed to get around the secure connection." He then sighs and adds "I was proved wrong."

Tony asks "How do you mean?"

Gibbs answers "That woman's name is Christie; she caused us no end of problems when we were trying to do the joint op. She was trying to send us a different cop down here to work with us, and this person hadn't got any clue about the original investigation like Jodie had. In the end it took a call from Vance going over her head to finally get Jodie to stay here and help us. When we're alone I'll show you what that woman had written into Jodie's file, and I'm guessing that Vance either never saw it or just ignored it. As I think she had the idea that he would get to see it himself or if HR saw it first, then they would bring it to his attention so that ultimately she wouldn't have got the clearance to work here or be able to have of course become an agent, but before anyone else saw it I got it out of there, because of that though I did have a feeling that she was going to end up causing problems for us and could even end up setting her up for something down the road."

Tony says "Well I have a feeling that could still end up being a possibility; I should think that with their psychology things both Bull and Ducky could probably tell us more about her in that way, I'm just hoping though that this may not be the same Christie that I knew about."

"What?"

Tony answers "At Baltimore before I found out about Danny being dirty there was a rumour going round about a new rookie cop who had been really throwing her weight around and using everything she could think of to get herself raised up the ranks quite quickly. It seemed that she slept with both men and women to get what she wanted, but it seemed that she did have a penchant for mostly sleeping with the women. Then once she made sergeant she kept that up, along with also sleeping with women rookie cops as well. I'll have to get in contact with some of my contacts about it, but there was also a rumour that she was asked to leave or resign because there had been a succession of complaints about her, but it seems that one day she just disappeared and no-one knew where she disappeared to or which of the options she ended up taking."

"Why do this Tony?"

He answers with a sigh "Because as I told you years ago I did really love her, and in a way still do, but she did also do the right thing all those years ago by turning me down. Plus we've already had a few good talks, so I want to help her both as a friend and as your family. I can also tell that she's a very strong woman, but I can also tell that she's been bottling all this up for so long now, that eventually I can see that she could end up breaking and I don't want that to happen." He then cups Gibbs cheek and then adds "Plus I know that if anything happens to her you'll also end up getting hurt, which I don't want to see happening either. I also know that we've both been stupid idiots now for a very long time, and yes I also thought that us putting some distance between the both of us would help, but it hasn't and my feelings for you haven't in anyway changed. I know that this is most probably a stupid time to start anything, b…" The rest of his sentence then gets cut off, as his lips are captured in a slow and very passionate kiss, which he soon finds himself responding to it, as they then eventually break apart he then says "Wow I'm guessing then that it isn't too soon!"

Gibbs then clears his throat and puts his hand on the back of Tony's neck as he then says "You said it yourself we've already wasted too much time and I don't want to waste anymore. Yes I know that we do have a lot to talk about, and yes I know how much I hurt you during your last year here, and for doing that I am truly sorry for it, but I also want us to have a clean slate and take this second chance that the two of us have been given, because I don't want to loose you again Tony. You're also right about both Jodie and her mom being like family to me, if it wasn't for them I haven't got a clue what could have ended up happening all those years ago, but I also know how much Jan will be hurting if anything bad happened to Jodie."

Tony then says with a smile "Wow an apology from Leroy Jethro Gibbs! But I agree that the two of us should wipe the slate clean, so what's happening with me and Tali?"

Gibbs answers "You're both coming home with me, Jodie and Bull, and Tali can have Kelly's room."

Tony asks with some surprise "You sure?!"

Gibbs answers "I'm very sure I want the both of you to be there."

Tony then asks "Ok, but what about Jodie and Bull talking?"

Gibbs says "I'll probably see if I can give them a private moment in a little while." He then gets interrupted by some banging on the elevator doors, which the both of them can tell is being done by a child's hand, after a few minutes they then hear Jodie's voice saying "Come on Tali I'm sure that Abba will be out of there soon."

Back inside the elevator Tony smiles at Gibbs and says "You sure that you can cope with the both of us?"

He replies "I'm very sure, because I do want us to work."

He then pats Tony gently on the cheek and they then kiss again, as they break apart this time Tony replies slightly breathlessly "And so do I."

As Tony then flips the switch on the elevator and the doors open, as the two of them get out, Tali comes scrabbling off of Jodie's lap and goes rushing up to Tony as she yells "Abba!" He picks her up and then as they get to the end of the bullpen he says "I suppose that we ought to also go and get the Abby welcome out of the way, then I can also do another little talk with her as well."

Gibbs replies with a slight smirk "Ok good luck with that, if you're not back in about an hour I'll come down and rescue you."

Tony says with a small smile "Thanks."

As he heads towards the back elevator with Tali in his arms he flashes Jodie a look of "Don't worry everything will be ok" look. Gibbs then heads straight towards Jodie, who then gets up from her seat and as soon as he gets close enough to her he takes her in a hug. He then kisses the top of her head and says quietly "I'm so sorry, but we're all here for you now I promise you, you're not alone." As she then hugs him back he then adds "Just promise me that you won't keep any of this all bottled up any longer, we're all here for you and love you, when you need help ask and that is a rule."

Even though they're still hugging she can't help but smile as she replies "I will do I promise."

 **A/N: I've had this story playing around in my head for a while and decided to give it ago, and yes I know that this is quite a long start to the first chapter, but I couldn't work out the best place to stop it! Hopefully the next chapters won't be quite as long! I also promise that it won't happen next chapter, but there will be more to the Tony and Gibbs talk! xxx. D. :0D**


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